The Peterbald breed was originally produced
in Russia by mating a Donskoy male named Afinogen Myth
with an Oriental female named Radma von Jagerhof in 1993. The original founder
of the breed is Olga Mironova. They gained popularity in the St. Petersburg
hence the name..

It is very important to note the
Donskoy and Peterbalds are completely different breeds from the Sphynx (aka
Canadian Sphynx). Some associations do call the Donskoys "Don Sphynx", so it can
be confusing. The gene that causes the hair
loss in the Peterbald/Donskoy is a dominant gene whereas the one that causes
the Sphynx to be hairless is recessive.

The Peterbald is a refined cat
with a long elongated body with long graceful legs. The personality of a
Peterbald is very outgoing, very friendly, can be demanding and loud. Most
crave human attention like no other breed of cat you have ever seen. Peterbalds
are extremely intelligent and they are very agile and quick! Their personality
is similar to that of Oriental's or Siamese. Some of them do have "that infamous
Siamese voice". This is a fantastic breed if you want an affectionate cat that is
a little bit more like a "dog"!

Make no mistake, the Peterbald is NOT a "bald Oriental", it is
its own breed. The crossing of the two breeds contribute to the lovely
attributes of this breed today, but leans more towards the foreign body type.
Currently the Peterbald is outcrossed to Orientals and Siamese to maintain the
type and improve the health and vigor of the breed.

Peterbalds achieved
Advanced New Breed status in TICA February 2005 and hopefully will soon be in Championship
status. The Peterbald is also recognized in World Cat Federation (WCF) and in FIFe. We would also like to see this breed recognized and advance in CFA.

The Peterbald coat is unusual and
is actually quite difficult to describe because it
can range from sticky bald to having course, curly hair. This curly coarse coat
is only found in one other breed - the Don Sphynx which is the foundation breed
for the Peterbald. Many Peterbalds are born with a curly course coat that
slowly disappears as the cat matures. Some may lose the curly coarse coat by 4 months, others may
take up to 2 years or may not lose the coat at all.

The dominant hairless gene found
in the Peterbald is not very predictable.. Kittens from the same litter can
range from having a brush coat to being completely bald. This hairless gene
needs to be analyzed further to gain a better understanding of how the gene
works. Once the gene or genes that contribute to the hairlessness are better
understood, this information can be to help Peterbald breeding programs.

There are three basic types of
coat: There is a spectrum of these coats. Peterbalds can combine coat types. For
example, a bald Peterbald can have brush coat on its extremities/points.

1.) Bald - Some cats are born bald
- this type of coat is the greatest degree of hairlessness and can feel sticky
to the touch, but not all do. Some (see illustration below) are born with curly, course hair and
then become very bald. Their skin has a wonderful silky feel to it. Peterbalds
that are bald can have a small degree of hair on the points (tail, ears, feet)

2.) Velour - This coat is
lovely and feels like crushed velvet. You can see the very short hairs (only a
few millimeters long) even from a distance.

3.) Brush - This coat is very
unusual. It is a wiry, curly hair. Good brush coat Peterbalds have some curly
coarse coat,
but you can always see through to the skin. Thicker brush coats (where you
cannot see the skin) or "straight" coats are not desired in the Peterbald.

Often people ask what is the
difference between a Peterbald and a Sphynx. Most people look at the cats and
think "no hair - must be the same breed". This is not so! They are both
hairless, but for different genetic reasons. The gene that makes the Peterbald
hairless is a dominant gene, whereas the gene that makes the Sphynx bald is a
recessive gene. They have a completely different look too.

Major differences between the
Peterbald and the Sphynx:

The gene causing the
hairlessness is completely different. The Peterbald gene is dominant, whereas
the Sphynx gene is a recessive. Sphynx feel like warm peaches or chamois, Peterbalds can
have a variety of coats from sticky bald to a brush coat.

The head type of a Peterbald is
a long elongated face, the Sphynx has a much shorter, wider face.

The body type of the Peterbald
is refined and elegant, the Sphynx is medium sized cat that is supposed to be
pear shaped.

Peterbalds have almost almond
shaped eyes, Sphynx have lemon-shaped eyes.

The boning of a Peterbald is
medium-fine, the Sphynx is medium.

The ear set is lower on a Peterbald.

Many Peterbald have kinky
whiskers - Sphynx usually have none or have broken whiskers.